#γδ

[bpod-bpod]

Targets in Practice

Executing a slick move on the training pitch is one thing, but doing it during a big match is another. And getting treatments working in lab experiments doesn’t mean they’ll be effective in the body. Researchers know that γδ T cells (a type of immune cell, green) have the potential to fight cancer (blue), pinpointing tumour cells that produce stress-induced signals. Triple-negative breast cancer, however, employs a pool of cancer stem cells to evade these immune cells. In lab tests, T cells from healthy donors were able to target these stem cells, but when the researchers repeated the test in mice it was as if they vanished into the crowd, rendering the γδ T cells ineffective. Treating the mice with zoledronate – a drug already used to treat osteoporosis – helped the T cells lock onto the cancer cells, suggesting new combination immunotherapy approaches for the hard-to-treat triple negative breast cancer.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Image from work by Katrin Raute and colleagues

Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

Image copyright held by the original authors

Research published in Cancer Immunology Research, May 2023

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[crisismonitor]

Εκτροχιάστηκε το Χρηματιστήριο - Σε χαμηλά δυόμισι μηνών ο ΓΔ

Την τέταρτη διαδοχική πτωτική συνεδρίαση έκανε σήμερα Πέμπτη το ελληνικό χρηματιστήριο, συνεχίζοντας να παρουσιάζει προφίλ εσωστρέφειας, χωρίς εισροές φρέσκων κεφαλαίων, με τους πωλητές να ελέγχουν πλήρως την κατάσταση κυρίως στον τραπεζικό κλάδο, που είναι ο αρνητικός καταλύτης των ημερών.  Continue reading Εκτροχιάστηκε το Χρηματιστήριο – Σε χαμηλά δυόμισι μηνών ο ΓΔ

[ultrabellasmith55things-blog]

what are gamma delta t cells

[mamaketoblr]

Keto diet and Immunity

Keto diet is a high fat, moderate protein and a low carb diet. Following a well balanced keto diet switches your body to a fat metabolism state by limiting the availability of glucose in the system. In the ketogenic diet, meals usually consist of a variety of poultry, fish, meat, and non-starchy vegetables.

Lets see the impact of keto diet in improving immunity:

Keto diet protects us from influenza flu : The research from science immunology journal suggests that, following a keto diet provides protection against the lethal influenza infection.The ketogenic diet promotes the expansion of gamma delta T (γδ T) cells in the airways. These γδ T cells produce mucus in the linings of the lungs, which aids the body to get rid of infectious agents and also blocks the formation of inflammasomes, which can cause deleterious immune system responses

The ketogenic diet enhances immunity against malignant glioma: The research published in BMC cancer journal suggests that following a keto diet can increase the tumor-reactive innate and adaptive immune responses to help fight cancer causing agents.

Ketogenic diet positively affects immune cells: The study published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology suggests that ketogenic diet helps reduce inflammation and enhances metabolic outcomes.Following keto diet for 3–4 months shows the increased Gamma delta T calls which are metabolically protective against Autistic behaviour and overall metabolic functions of the body.

Decreases Fat Mass : Obesity has been identified as a risk factor for diabetic patienst and even COVID-19 hospitalization in patients under 60, This means that the COVID-19 infection tends to be more severe in obese individuals. When you consume more calories than you burn, your body stores those calories for a rainy day. This is a vital adaptive ability that has allowed the survival of humanity during times when food was scarce.Following a keto diet can help body use stored fat as its energy source for all the bodily function, hence reducing the accumulated fat and improving metabolism by boosting immunity to fight against pathogens and certain virus including covid- 19

Mama Keto’s motto is to provide nutritious meals, where lifestyle diseases can be addressed with well balanced Macro and Micro nutrients. Our personalised approach to each individual & bringing a variety of cuisines to meet all taste pallets ensures keto Diet is never boring.

Take Away:

The Ketogenic Diet appears to decrease inflammation as evidenced by improving inflammatory markers

This anti-inflammatory effect may boost the immune system by removing the burden of systemic chronic inflammation

The anti-inflammatory effects appear to be enhanced by choosing foods consistent with Keto diet.

The Ketogenic Diet is effective at reducing obesity which decreases inflammation and improves immunity and decreases risk and severity of infection

Keto diet and Immunity: Keto diet is a high fat, moderate protein and a low carb diet. Following a well balanced keto diet switches your body to a fat metabolism state by limiting the availability of glucose in the system. In the ketogenic diet, meals usually consist of a variety of poultry, fish, meat, and non-starchy vegetables.

Lets see the impact of keto diet in improving immunity:

Keto diet protects us from influenza flu: The research from science immunology journal suggests that, following a keto diet provides protection against the lethal influenza infection.The ketogenic diet promotes the expansion of gamma delta T (γδ T) cells in the airways. These γδ T cells produce mucus in the linings of the lungs, which aids the body to get rid of infectious agents and also blocks the formation of inflammasomes, which can cause deleterious immune system responses

The ketogenic diet enhances immunity against malignant glioma: The research published in BMC cancer journal suggests that following a keto diet can increase the tumor-reactive innate and adaptive immune responses to help fight cancer causing agents.

Ketogenic diet positively affects immune cells: The study published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology suggests that ketogenic diet helps reduce inflammation and enhances metabolic outcomes.Following keto diet for 3–4 months shows the increased Gamma delta T calls which are metabolically protective against Autistic behaviour and overall metabolic functions of the body.

Decreases Fat Mass : Obesity has been identified as a risk factor for diabetic patienst and even COVID-19 hospitalization in patients under 60, This means that the COVID-19 infection tends to be more severe in obese individuals. When you consume more calories than you burn, your body stores those calories for a rainy day. This is a vital adaptive ability that has allowed the survival of humanity during times when food was scarce.Following a keto diet can help body use stored fat as its energy source for all the bodily function, hence reducing the accumulated fat and improving metabolism by boosting immunity to fight against pathogens and certain virus including covid- 19

Take Away:

The Ketogenic Diet appears to decrease inflammation as evidenced by improving inflammatory markers

This anti-inflammatory effect may boost the immune system by removing the burden of systemic chronic inflammation

The anti-inflammatory effects appear to be enhanced by choosing foods consistent with Keto diet.

The Ketogenic Diet is effective at reducing obesity which decreases inflammation and improves immunity and decreases risk and severity of infection

Source Link

[tumimmtxpapers]

αβ-T cell receptor transduction gives superior mitochondrial function to γδ-T cells with promising persistence

Adoptive cell therapy using allogeneic γδ-T cells is a promising option for off-the-shelf T cell products with a low risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Long-term persistence may boost the clinical development of γδ-T cell products. In this study, we found that genetically modified Vγ9^(+)Vδ2^(+) T cells expressing a tumor antigen-specific αβ-TCR and CD8 coreceptor (GMC) showed target-specific killing and excellent persistence. To determine the mechanisms underlying these promising... http://dlvr.it/SwGhx7

[monstruous-pictures-present-blog]

📆 Jul 2019 📰 T cell-mediated immunity to malaria 🗞 Nature Immunology Reviews

The lead subunit vaccine candidate, RTS,S (Mosquirix™) [G] provides only short-lived, partial protection against malaria2, 3, 4. Thus, despite the current conceptual frameworks for αβ and γδ T cell-mediated protection against Plasmodium, we still lack sufficient mechanistic understanding of their formation and function, which has hampered the design of efficacious vaccines that can be deployed in malaria-endemic regions. The development of innovative anti-malarial vaccine platforms and the potential application of immunotherapies that stimulate or enhance resistance to malaria will require deeper insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern anti-Plasmodium T cell responses.

Identifying immunodominant subsets of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells will necessitate a greater emphasis on deciphering immunodominant T cell epitopes that are targeted by liver- or blood-stage-specific T cells. Notably, some dominant T cell epitopes targeted by substantial populations of T cells do not represent protective epitopes; this is likely due to large numbers of precursor T cells bearing T cell receptors (TCRs) that can recognize the epitope presented by professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs), but a lack of this epitope on infected cells.

Determining which of the detectable epitope-specific T cell responses are the most protective represents a major goal.

In experimental malaria, CD8+ T cells specific for sporozoite antigens, liver-stage antigens (the pre-erythrocytic stages) and blood-stage antigens (erythrocytic stage) (Fig. 2) have been described after infection or vaccination. Although CD8+ T cells are primed against the various pre-erythrocytic stages of malaria in the vertebrate host, their relevance to protection in a primary infection is contentious. This is largely because an infected mosquito delivers only a few hundred sporozoites into the host dermis, leading to a very low proportion of infected hepatocytes prior to release of blood-stage merozoites. Further, liver-stage malaria offers a short window of opportunity (~7 days in humans and ~2 days in mice), to mount optimally functional effector CD8+ T cell responses.

Additionally, repeated exposure to Plasmodium infections does not generate sufficient immunity against the liver-stages in humans despite eliciting disease-limiting humoral immunity against the pathogenic blood stage148, 149, 150; the precise reasons for this remain a major knowledge gap.

For a long time it was assumed that CD8+ T cell responses against pre-erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium were primed by infected hepatocytes. Yet, the unlikelihood of rare naïve CD8+ T cells, encountering infrequently infected hepatocytes in the liver made this event improbable based on the existing paradigms of T cell priming mechanisms.

Early studies revealed that CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs) played a vital role in priming CD8+ T cell responses to pre-erythrocytic developmental stages of Plasmodium.

The precise mechanisms by which CD8+ T cells function to limit liver-stage infection in human malaria remain unknown, and a better understanding of those will help further our ability to tailor sterilizing immunity to malaria.

The field of malaria subunit vaccines is desperately in need of new target antigens to evaluate and the capacity to carry out whole parasite immunization studies in human volunteers could be a fertile basis for such antigen discovery. Importantly, recent work in animal models shows that detection of a T cell response to a Plasmodium antigen does not ensure that antigen will elicit T cells that can protect against infection.

[cailynnjohnson]

Currently, we have developed a novel γδ TCR repertoires analysis platform for evaluating the diversity of immune systems in samples from different sources, antigens, patients, and virus infections. 

[singh-a]

Deep characterization of human γδ T cell subsets defines shared and lineage-specific traits

http://dlvr.it/Smqfbv

[mrunalnerkarblog]

Growing advancement in cancer therapies to foster solid tumors treatment market growth

Market Overview:

 A solid tumor can characterized by growth of abnormal mass or lump of tissues without liquid or cysts. It is classified into malignant tumor (cancerous) and the benign tumor (non-cancerous). Additionally, based on the cell type, tumors can be classified as sarcomas, carcinomas, and lymphomas.

Competitive Landscape:

Abbott Laboratories Inc., Biogen Idec Incorporated, AstraZeneca Plc., Johnson & Johnson Company, Amgen Inc., Bristol Myers Squibb Company, GlaxoSmithKline Plc., Sanofi, and Baxter International Incorporated

Key Market Drivers:

Growing popularity of biosimilars therapies is driving growth of the solid tumors treatment market. Moreover, rising prevalence of solid tumors is fueling market growth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States in 2019, 1,752,735 new cancer cases were reported and 599,589 people died of cancer. For every 100,000 people, 439 new cancer cases were reported and 146 people died of cancer.

Growing merger &acquisition in the market of cancer therapies by key players is again contributing to market growth. For instance, in July 2022, Takeda announced that it has acquire Adaptate Biotherapeutics to develop novel Gamma Delta (γδ) T Cell Engager therapies targeting solid tumors.

Covid-19 Impact Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has had significant impact on the practice of tumor treatment. There was disruption in supply of raw materials used for production of solid tumor drug due to lockdown and social distancing norms.

Key Takeaways:

1.      The solid tumors treatment market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of XX % over the forecast owing to the growing prevalence of solid tumors and increasing popularity of biosimilar. According to the IQVIA, the three most recently launched biosimilars in 2019 have achieved significant uptake within their first year: bevacizumab (42%), trastuzumab (38%), and rituximab (20%).

2.       North America is expected to gain significant growth over the forecast period owing to the presence of well-established healthcare sector.

[crisismonitor]

Cherry-picking στο Χρηματιστήριο - Έκλεισε θετικά ο ΓΔ

Με συνεδριάσεις χαμηλών τόνων χωρίς ακρότητες, περιορισμένους τζίρους και μικρά ρίσκα μπήκε η νέα εβδομάδα τόσο για το Χ.Α. όσο και για τις διεθνείς χρηματιστηριακές αγορές, ενόψει και των κρίσιμων αποφάσεων της Fed για τα επιτόκια μεθαύριο Τετάρτη.  Ο Γ.Δ. ολοκλήρωσε τη συνεδρίαση στις 1.423,61 μονάδες με άνοδο 0,31%, - Στάση αναμονής με μικρές μεταβολές σε Ασία, Ευρώπη και Αμερική - Επιβεβαίωσε την περιοχή των 1.400 – 1.420 μονάδων το Χ.Α. - Ξεχώρισαν Alpha Bank, Autohellas, Lamda, Τιτάν και ΑΔΜΗΕ - Νέα ιστορικά υψηλά για την Κρι Κρι, μετά τα καθαρά κέρδη 26,32 εκατ. το 6μηνο Οι ασιατικοί δείκτες το πρωί έκλεισαν με μεικτά πρόσημα, χωρίς ξεκάθαρο στίγμα, ενώ επίσης με μεικτά πρόσημα και περιορισμένες μεταβολές έκλεισαν και οι ευρωπαϊκοί δείκτες, που την περασμένη εβδομάδα είχαν σημειώσει έντονη άνοδο. Ο FTSE 100 του Λονδίνου έκλεισε με οριακή άνοδο 0,06%, ο γερμανικός DAX υποχώρησε κατά 0,35% στις 18.633,11 μονάδες, ενώ ο γαλλικός CAC 40 είχε πτώση 0,21% στις 7.449,44 μονάδες.  Στον ευρωπαϊκό νότο, ο ιταλικός FTSE MIB έκλεισε με απόλυτη ισορροπία χωρίς μεταβολή στις 33.569,98 μονάδες, ενώ ο ισπανικός ΙΒΕΧ 35 είχε άνοδο 0,35% στις 11.581 μονάδες. Τέλος, ο πανευρωπαϊκός Stoxx 600 είχε μικρή πτώση 0,16%, στις 515,11 μονάδες. Δείτε αναλυτικά εδώ. Στη Wall Street που την περασμένη εβδομάδα καταγράφηκε ισχυρή άνοδος, σήμερα ο Dow Jones κερδίζει 0,31%, ο S&P 500 διορθώνει κατά 0,17%, ενώ ο Nasdaq υποχωρεί κατά 0,90%. Θυμίζουμε πως την περασμένη εβδομάδα, το  αμερικανικό χρηματιστήριο σημείωσε σημαντικά κέρδη, με τον Dow Jones να ενισχύεται κατά 2,60%, ο S&P 500 κατέγραψε άνοδο περί το 4%, ενώ ο τεχνολογικός Nasdaq έκανε άλμα σε ποσοστό 6%.  Τι έγινε στο Χ.Α. Το ελληνικό χρηματιστήριο, θυμίζουμε ότι την περασμένη εβδομάδα υποαπέδωσε έναντι των διεθνών αγορών,  χάνοντας 1,66% σε επίπεδο Γενικού Δείκτη, με τον FTSE 25 να έχει πτώση 1,81%, τον Mid Cap στο -0,97% και τον τραπεζικό δείκτη στο -3,02%.  Σήμερα η συνεδρίαση χαρακτηρίστηκε από τα επιλεκτικά πονταρίσματα σε κάποιες μετοχές του Large και του Mid Cap, όμως γενικότερα ήταν μια υποτονική συνεδρίαση, με περιορισμένο επενδυτικό ενδιαφέρον και νέα μείωση της αξίας συναλλαγών που κατήλθε στα 73,1 εκατ. ευρώ.  Πάντως, παρά τις ενδοσυνεδριακές παλινδρομήσεις και τις εναλλαγές στα πρόσημα, οι τρεις από τους τέσσερις κύριους δείκτες (πλην του Mid Cap), έκλεισαν στα υψηλά ημέρας, με σημαντική βελτίωση στο τελευταίο δίωρο των συναλλαγών. Ο Γ.Δ. ολοκλήρωσε τη συνεδρίαση στις 1.423,61 μονάδες με άνοδο 0,31%, ενώ στις 15:32 μ.μ. έφτασε να υποχωρεί έως και 0,38%. Ο FTSE 25 έκλεισε με άνοδο 0,28% στις 3.450,69 μονάδες ενώ στις 15:32 μ.μ. έχανε 0,49%.  Ο Mid Cap έκλεισε με οριακή άνοδο 0,06% μολονότι έφτασε να χάνει 0,40% και να κερδίζει 0,58%, ενώ τέλος ο τραπεζικός δείκτης έκλεισε με άνοδο 0,68% στις 1.224,65 μονάδες, παρ’ ότι έχανε 0,37% είκοσι λεπτά μετά την έναρξη της συνεδρίασης.  Η αγορά δεν έδειξε να επηρεάζεται σημαντικά από τη μη αναβάθμιση της ελληνικής οικονομίας από τον οίκο Moody’s την Παρασκευή, ενώ μετά τη συνεδρίαση ο οίκος αναβάθμισε το outlook της Εθνικής και της Eurobank. Επίσης, όπως τόνισε σήμερα ο υπουργός Εθνικής Οικονομίας και Οικονομικών Κωστής Χατζηδάκης, το placement της Εθνικής Τράπεζας βρίσκεται στην τελική ευθεία και σύντομα αναμένονται ανακοινώσεις από το ΤΧΣ.  Νέα ιστορικά υψηλά για την Κρι Κρι Για να επανέλθουμε στο ταμπλό του Χ.Α., στον Large Cap ξεχώρισε με έμφαση η Alpha Bank που ενισχύθηκε κατά 2,62%, ενώ 1,82% κέρδισε η Autohellas και 1,72% η Lamda Development. Κέρδη άνω του 1% είχαν και οι Τιτάν, Coca Cola HBC και Εθνική, ενώ πτώση πλέον του 1% είχαν μόνο οι ΔΕΗ και ElvalHalcor.  Στον Mid Cap επιβλητική κίνηση έκανε η Κρι Κρι που με φόντο τα αποτελέσματα – ρεκόρ του πρώτου εξαμήνου με τα καθαρά κέρδη να διαμορφώνονται στα 26,32 εκατ. ευρώ, όταν σε όλη την περυσινή χρήση, που ήταν η καλύτερη στην ιστορία της εταιρείας, η καθαρή κερδοφορία ήταν στα 32 εκατ. ευρώ. Η μετοχή έκανε ράλι σε ποσοστό 4,84%, κλείνοντας στα 13 ευρώ που είναι νέα ιστορικά υψηλά, με την αποτίμηση στα 429 εκατ. ευρώ.  Καλή εικόνα στον Mid Cap είχε επίσης και ο ΑΔΜΗΕ που ενισχύθηκε κατά 2,97%, ενώ η Τεχνική Ολυμπιακή κέρδισε 1,23%. Στον αντίποδα, απώλειες 2,17% είχε η ΕΥΑΘ, με τις Intralot και Profile να χάνουν άνω του 1%. Στο σύνολο της αγοράς, 55 μετοχές είχαν άνοδο έναντι 60 που υποχώρησαν. Read the full article

[ultrabellasmith55things-blog]

IL-17-producing γδ T cell

Some studies showed IL-17-producing γδ T cells may promote tumorigenesis. In mouse models of spontaneous breast cancer metastasis, IL-17-producing γδ T cells in cooperation with neutrophils were shown to promote breast cancer metastasis. 

[eidiseis-news]

"Στέγνωσε" το χρηματιστήριο -Ανοδος με μηδαμινό τζίρο

“Στέγνωσε” το χρηματιστήριο -Ανοδος με μηδαμινό τζίρο

Σε συνθήκες συναλλακτικής άπνοιας το χρηματιστήριο κινήθηκε σήμερα σε τροχιά ανάκαμψης και οι βασικοί δείκτες έκλεισαν στα υψηλά ημέρας με μικρά κέρδη (ΓΔ +0,51%), την ώρα που οι ευρωπαϊκές αγορές έβαζαν “όπισθεν”, χάνοντας τα πρωινά κέρδη. Ομως τα μηνύματα από τη Wall Street δεν εμπνέουν αισιοδοξία για τη συνέχεια.  Ο ημερήσιος τζίρος στο ΧΑ ήταν μόλις 35 εκατ. ευρώ, καθώς τα περισσότερα ξένα…

[astratv]

Στις δομές των Σερρών Λογοθέτης, Κωνσταντίνου και η αναπληρώτρια Γ.Δ. της Κομισιόν Μπ. Γκμίντερ

Στις δομές των Σερρών Λογοθέτης, Κωνσταντίνου και η αναπληρώτρια Γ.Δ. της Κομισιόν Μπ. Γκμίντερ

Επίσκεψη στις δομές φιλοξενίας αιτούντων άσυλο του Νομού Σερρών πραγματοποίησαν σήμερα η αναπληρώτρια γενική διευθύντρια της Κομισιόν (DG HOME) και Επικεφαλής της Ευρωπαϊκής Ομάδας Δράσης Μπεάτε Γκμίντερ, ο Γενικός Γραμματέας Υποδοχής Αιτούντων Άσυλο  Μάνος Λογοθέτης και ο Ειδικός Γραμματέας Συντονισμού Εμπλεκόμενων Φορέων του Υπουργείου Μετανάστευσης Βαγγέλης Κωνσταντίνου. «Οι τοπικές κοινωνίες…

[monstruous-pictures-present-blog]

📆 Jul 2019 📰 T cell-mediated immunity to malaria 🗞 Nature Immunology Reviews

The life cycle begins when a Plasmodium-infected female Anopheles mosquito takes a blood meal from a human host and deposits Plasmodium sporozoites into the skin. Motile sporozoites exit the dermis and travel through the blood to access hepatocytes. Sporozoites invade liver cells via interactions between Plasmodium circumsporozoite protein (CSP) and heparin sulfate molecules expressed on hepatocytes. One P. falciparum sporozoite will undergo differentiation over 6–7 days and amplify into ~10,000 merozoites. Infected hepatocytes release merozoites and merosomes, which are membrane bound packets of merozoites, into the blood stream where they proceed to invade erythrocytes.

Merozoites undergo repeated rounds of asexual replication. A minor proportion of merozoites will differentiate into either male or female gametocytes that can be ingested by other female Anopheles mosquitos.

In the mosquito midgut, male and female gametocytes fuse and develop into a motile ookinete. Ookinetes embed within the mosquito midgut wall and develop further into oocysts. Each oocyst produces thousands of sporozoites over a period of two weeks. Sporozoites eventually migrate to the salivary glands and poise the mosquito to transmit malaria to a new host.

[rwby-redux]

I’ll be the first person to tell you that I move at a glacial pace when it comes to answering messages. But hey, better late than never, right?

So, before I get started, I want to take a second and explain how I’ve gone about writing/worldbuilding for the Redux. When it comes to RWBY’s more fantastical elements—Dust, Aura, and Grimm—I try to place them within broad, analogous IRL categories that give me a starting point. I’ve been more or less treating the Grimm sciences as a hypothetical offshoot of zoology (something which I’ve had practice doing), while Aura gets filed under anatomy and physiology as some bizarre quasi-organ system.

The science of Dust isn’t so simple. Upon closer inspection, it bears quite a resemblance to a combo of crystallography, fossil fuels, and the periodic table.

Which means three things: physics, chemistry, and math.

And now you know why this post took nearly two months to write.

For now, I’m not going to address what Dust is (what it’s made of and where it comes from) because that answer will spoil crucial backstory for the plot. We’ll get to that eventually, but it’s not necessary for talking about the properties of Dust, along with its cultural and practical applications.

There are, broadly speaking, 15 Dust types. Although several Dust types from the canon were kept, others (like Combustion and Plant) were removed, and one was rebranded (Rock > Earth). Combustion felt unnecessary to keep because its existence seemed like a circumvention of an in-universe reason for why natural gas and oil don’t exist. And Plant Dust is just weird. Not only do we know nothing about it (Like, if it’s only ever been mentioned in a book, how important to the show could it really be?), but it clashes with the other canon Dust types. Things like Fire, Gravity, and Water are either chemical processes, fundamental forces, or physical matter. Inorganic. Plants, meanwhile, encompass an entire kingdom on the tree of life. As in, living organisms made of cells. Do you have any idea how much biological diversity that is? How infuriatingly vague “plant” is when talking about the 300,000+ species that exist on this planet?

I mean, at least Fire Dust is predictable. It makes fire. What the hell is Plant Dust supposed to do? Grow me a golf course?

I could maybe see some sort of combat application for Plant Dust if it created caltrops from water chestnuts, like the makibishi used by ninja. But then you’d have to explain how the Plant Dust chose to create that one, extremely specific part of the plant, as opposed to just growing the plant in its entirety (leaves, roots, and all). Or explain why the Plant Dust made a water chestnut as opposed to a pine tree, or a fern, or literally any random weed.

Yeah, no. Fuck that. It just wasn’t worth the headache, so it got axed.

In the Redux, Dust types are more closely aligned with the classical elements, in addition to the aforementioned chemical processes/fundamental forces/physical matter. The four primary types are Fire (A), Ice (B), Electricity (Γ), and Earth (Δ). The other eleven Dust types (which are classified as aggregates) are derived from combinations of the primary four.

Primary: Fire (A), Ice (B), Electricity (Γ), Earth (Δ)

Aggregate-2: Water (AB), Acid [BΓ], Lava (AΔ), Hard-Light (ΓΔ), Sand (BΔ), Glow (AΓ)

Aggregate-3: Glass (AΓΔ), Wind (ABΓ), Steam (ABΔ), Metal (BΓΔ)

Aggregate-4: Gravity (ABΓΔ)

In addition to their elemental powers, each Dust type has its own properties—color, shape, luminance, mass, rarity, and so on. This was done to not only create variety by giving them unique characteristics, but to resolve some of my personal nitpicks with the canon (like Dust types not having a uniform look in terms of lattice, habit, and symmetry).

Steam Dust, for example, is a light gray (#AEAAAA) Aggregate-3 [ABΔ] with a tapered bipyramidal form. As its name suggests, it releases aerosolized water in the form of mist.

Glow Dust, on the other hand, is a white (#FFFFFF) Aggregate-2 [AΓ] with a wheatsheaf spray form. It passively gives off a bright glow, but when subjected to enough Aura + mechanical stress, it produces a flashbang effect.

What makes Dust so rare isn’t just its scarcity, but the fact that you can’t make more of it. Nor can you artificially combine already-existing Dusts into aggregates. Even though Water Dust is the combination of Fire Dust and Ice Dust, there’s no way to synthesize it from them. Water Dust, just like the other aggregates, has to be found and excavated as is. No living person knows what processes form Dust, or what base materials they’re made from, so for now Dust is a finite resource. It’s a problem that rhizologists (scientists who study Dust) are very keen to solve. It’s uncertain how much Dust there is on Remnant, or what percentage of it has already been depleted. Remnant’s impending energy crisis is a bit like the supervolcano under Yellowstone—it could happen in a few generations, or it could happen tomorrow, depending on who you ask.

And given that Dust is Remnant’s dominant energy source (nearly to the exclusion of all others), it’s understandable why people are desperate to figure out how to acquire more.

Which segues rather nicely into the industrial side of Dust—extraction, production, marketing, and usage.

Dust is found naturally-occurring within a substrate of soil or rock. Because the majority of deposits are underground (with a few notable exceptions), extraction methods are limited to mining. And even then, Dust companies have to rely pretty much exclusively on underground mining techniques. You can’t employ surface mining (like strip mining, open-pit, or mountaintop removal) because it involves the use of explosives, and given that all Dust types are fairly sensitive, you really don’t want to try and excavate it with a stick of dynamite. All of which is to say that Dust mining companies are dependent on manual labor for their operations.

Individuals who work in Dust mines are known as colliers (with “collier” sometimes being used as a Faunus slur, due to the racial disparity among Dust workers). Dust-mining is often regarded as Remnant’s second-most dangerous career (with the coveted number one title going to Huntsmen), and comes with a number of occupational hazards: lung diseases (silicosis, pneumoconiosis) from inhaling rockdust, hearing loss from mining equipment, cave-ins/rockfalls, and an overall decrease in anticipated longevity due to stress and fatigue. Where Dust mining differs from traditional mining (ores, gemstones, oil, etc) is in the addition of diseases unique to colliers. For example, chronic Dust poisoning is the result of long-term exposure to raw Dust particles that are accidentally inhaled or ingested during excavation. The buildup in a person’s systems manifests as a constellation of health effects, including emesis (vomiting), epistaxis (nosebleeds), and alopecia (hair loss). Think of it like magical radiation sickness and you’ve pretty much got the gist.

At this point, it sort of goes without saying, but for the record—jabbing Dust crystals directly into your body would be a really bad idea. Suffice to say, Hazel in the Redux doesn’t do that. (He does have some other issues regarding Dust, but that’s a post for another day.)

When I do my actual write-up on Dust, I’ll go into greater detail on the manufacturing process, and how Dust is refined into its modern, usable form. That being said, I do want to briefly explain how Dust works; as in, how its elemental properties are harnessed.

In Part II of the deconstruction post for Dust, I talked about how it doesn’t make sense for the canon to treat Dust as a coal analog, given that the powderized form is considered the “refined” version of Dust, and yet it’s initially extracted from the earth as a crystal. This implies that at some point between mining the Dust and putting it on a store shelf, it was ground up into the powder form we see commonly sold in stores like From Dust Till Dawn.

Note the wall-mounted tubes in the background, which dispense powderized Dust. | Source: Volume 1, Episode 1: “Ruby Rose.”

Keeping with the comparison, Dust crystals are to coal what Dust powder is to fly ash, which would mean that Dust powder should be the spent byproduct, not the “refined” form.

So. How does the Redux fix this?

First, by giving a definitive, concrete answer as to how Dust’s powers are released. All Dust types have a threshold called Rigel’s number—the amount of minimum Aura exposure and mechanical stress needed to fracture the crystal. When Rigel’s number is met and the crystal breaks, it releases its stored energy.

You could argue that it’s similar to splitting an atom, but I prefer to think of it more like squeezing a lemon.

The intact fruit is the crystal, the juice is the elemental energy, and the wrung-out pulp is the powderized Dust. If you slice a lemon and squeeze the halves, you’ll get juice, sure, but it’s not as efficient as using a juicer. No matter how hard you clench your fist, the pulp is still going to hold onto some of that tantalizing juice. If you’re in the habit of frequently making lemonade, then at a certain point you concede that there’s probably a faster, more efficient way to make it (that doesn’t involve getting the juice into any open cuts on your fingers). With a sigh, you grab your keys, drive to the nearest supermarket, and purchase a juicer.

And voilà—hassle-free lemonade. Less wasted juice, less wasted time, and less stinging cuts.

The above comparison neatly encapsulates the history of Dust refinement technology over the ages. People of Remnant wanted to optimize the amount of elemental energy they were extracting from the crystals, so eventually, they figured out how to break down the residual shards and fragments (ie. “wring out the pulp”) into powder.

And then, someone had an idea: Not everyone has the time to squeeze lemons in a juicer, or the means to afford a juicer. And sometimes people just don’t want to bother with buying lemons. What if there was a way to sell ready-made, pre-squeezed lemon juice to consumers?

And thus the Dust cartridge was born. Engineering breakthroughs gave Remnant a pre-crushed, flash-frozen powder where the elemental energy was suspended within a stasis that inhibits/delays its release, until the appropriate trigger-mechanism is activated. After the cartridge is fully drained of its energy, the now-useless powder inside is thrown out. Safer, smarter, and cheaper.

Dust cartridges are Remnant’s batteries, meant to be used with technology (appliances, gadgets, vehicles, and so on) that was designed for compatible Dust types.

Want to keep your food cool? Not a problem! Just insert an Ice Dust cartridge into your refrigerator, and the Dust will take care of the rest.

Need to perform zero-g surgery on a patient? Thankfully, there are operating tables with Gravity Dust inlays that can be flipped on and adjusted with a switch.

Out on a sailboat, but there’s no breeze to get you moving? Modified nautical bellows with a Wind Dust cartridge can literally put the wind back in your sails.

While some of these applications are based on newer, novel technologies (like the zero-g surgery), others are far older. Long before cartridges were a thing, ancient societies would store their food in specialized insulated buildings similar to ghiacciaia or yakhchāl. The interiors were lined with Ice Dust crystals that passively radiated cold air, creating an ideal environment for preserving food.

Naval bellows, meanwhile, were an invention from the Ancient Sanorum of Vale. Similar in appearance to the kind of bellows used for forges, only instead of having a valve for air intake, the handles contract around a Wind Dust crystal. The applied stress releases a powerful, controlled gust that’s funneled through the nozzle into the sails. The only difference between ancient and modern naval bellows is the use of a Wind Dust cartridge, rather than just the insertion of a raw crystal. The cartridge makes it easier to adjust the force of the wind being released by the bellows.

I haven’t finished writing up the full list for modern and pre-modern Dust application, but a few of the ideas I had included:

Water Dust for ecosystem management: After the Great War ended, Vacuo’s government made combating desertification a top priority. They wanted to undo the damage caused to their oases from foreign mining operations during Mistrali occupation. The Water Dust reseeding program, as it’s called, uses Water Dust in a manner similar to drip irrigation/sub-irrigation planters. The way it works is after new vegetation is planted, the soil is “seeded” with Water Dust. It passively releases water that’s gradually taken up by the plants, allowing them to grow to maturity and propagate. What makes this ambitious program so appealing is that, as vegetation grows, it decreases the albedo (surface reflection of light) and increases surface friction, which in turn alters the climate by contributing to precipitation. The Water Dust would effectively be kickstarting a positive feedback loop that would eventually reduce the aridity of the region and revitalize the native ecosystems. It’s been relatively successful so far.

Lava Dust for waste disposal: Incineration has a lot of appeal as an alternative to landfills. It’s useful for getting rid of waste, but critics have been quick to raise concerns about health hazards from emissions. Using Lava Dust for waste disposal is a practice that goes back centuries.

Fire Dust for forges, campfires, etc: A common and popular alternative to flint.

Fire Dust for warmth: When Fire Dust is fractured, it releases fire, but when it’s merely exposed to Aura without mechanical stress, it passively radiates warmth. For generations, people living in northern Anima and Solitas would keep Fire Dust crystals on their person as an additional source of heat. Functionally similar to IRL pocket warmers.

Glow Dust as a light source: When readily available, Glow Dust has been the default source of light. The intensity of the glow that it passively emits is dependent on the amount of ambient Aura. In high-traffic areas, like city streets, Glow Dust is placed inside of lanterns and lampposts. The concept of Glow Dust generating light from the ambient energy given off by large numbers of people, comes from the idea of kinetic pavement.

Earth Dust for architecture: Through careful, controlled activation, people developed a technique for constructing adobe buildings from Earth Dust. Earth Dust crystals save on the transport costs of hauling heavy building materials on-site, by virtue of one crystal being a percentage of the total mass it generates post-fracture. Once the crystal is activated, it releases a large, round mass of earth that can then be hollowed out to create an insulated, habitable structure. Adobe buildings made this way are still a popular, cost-effective construction method in Vacuo and southern Mistral.

The other important thing you need to know about Dust is that it’s functionally inert. Even though mechanical stress is necessary for harnessing the full effect of a crystal’s elemental properties, Dust can give off lesser, passive effects with just the exposure to Aura.

Fire Dust only creates fire when it hits Rigel’s number. But when it’s immersed in the presence of ambient Aura, it passively generates heat.

Same thing goes for all of the Dust types—Ice Dust actively produces ice, but passively radiates cold air; Electricity Dust actively produces high-voltage shocks, but passively zaps people in a manner akin to static electricity from using a hair comb; Wind Dust actively produces powerful gusts, but passively encircles itself with gentle eddies.

The reason why Dust gets labeled as functionally inert is because, strictly speaking, no Dust has ever been observed not giving off a passive effect in some form. Even in areas devoid of animals, Fire Dust crystals measured with infrared cameras still gave off a weak heat signature. The only time when Dust is classified as technically inert, as opposed to functionally inert, is when it’s outside of Remnant’s atmosphere.

This peculiar behavior has stumped rhizologists for centuries. After all, shouldn’t the Dust crystals be rendered elementally null if there aren’t any animals around to provide them with a source of ambient Aura?

This conundrum (called Gannet’s paradox) is further exacerbated by the presence of Dust vortices—areas with large enough concentrations of Dust to create a self-sustaining macrocosm of their passive effects. Lake Matsu, for example, is a vortex created by Gravity Dust. The islands scattered above the lake are kept suspended by the massive and numerous crystals embedded in the earth.

There are several Dust vortices across Remnant that have become the foundation for unique ecosystems, complete with their own endemic species. These areas are often protected from mining corporations because of their cultural and ecological significance.

That’s far from everything I have to say about Dust in the Redux. I haven’t even gotten to talk about its cultural implications, or the importance of Dust vortices for pharmacological usage. I’ll get around to those eventually, but here seems like a good place to stop for now.

On a parting note, re: ovens—gas isn’t used for lighting them! What you have instead are either electric ovens (powered by Electricity Dust cartridges) or more traditional ovens that are modified to use Fire Dust cartridges. Electric bills do exist, but their source of energy comes from Electricity Dust, rather than steam turbines or hydroelectric dams. The only alternative fuels that exist in the Redux are solar, hydro, and wind, and even then, their implementation is limited to Menagerie and Vacuo. Dust tycoons like the SDC have used political clout and lobbyists to undercut the alternative energy sector in most places, so it’s rare to see technology that isn’t Dust-powered.

[cailynnjohnson]

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